Friendship or Associate?

Now That's What I Call Fallout Textposts: Ghoulcy Edition 4

I got back into playing Fallout 76 in recent weeks. And I’m having fun finding Cooper Howard (The Ghoul) at random points around the map. So far, I’ve seen him outside of Vault 76, Foundation and Crater.

Gif @victoryrifle

You guys. This scene. I...

If our collective fan theory is correct—which has Lucy somehow ending up kidnaped or otherwise detained by Hank in a Vault-Tec stronghold, and resulting in Cooper going to save her—then I interpret this scene as our guys and Dogmeat, having teamed up in some way, charging through Freeside (I can see the Wrangler sign in the back?) to get to Lucy.

And the look on Coop's face...

He looks so quietly worried, concern creasing his brow, and there's a sense of resignation in his expression, but a determination too.

I want to imagine he is struggling to process how he even found himself in this position after all these years. Ready to work alongside others who he surely sees as liabilities at best, or enemies at worst, and possibly risk his life to save someone, someone he reluctantly has come to care for.

And to further muck things up, the residents of Freeside appear to all gather on the street to follow our trio, rallying behind them, in an almost cliché show of support as our protagonist makes his charge toward the final showdown. Here, Coop is suddenly the good guy. After all those years of isolation, rage, retribution... of living a morally grey existence, and inspiring fear in others, of being the "monster," all of a sudden he finds himself leading a mob of townspeople who readily follow behind him in a show of support, like a hero heading toward a shootout in so many great Westerns. He is the hero again.

As he turns the corner, it looks like he's literally thinking to himself, "Coop, you old fool. What are you doing?! But you can't leave her." And that scares him. He looks scared. Scared for her, and scared for what that means for himself. Scared of who he's becoming, again. Of facing Cooper Howard. He looks troubled.

This scene literally gives me goosebumps.

Can't wait to see how many of our theories are right!!

Busted out my markers

Drew the ghoul

"Feo, fuerte y formal."

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